Museums Saxony-Anhalt

Merseburg Chapter House

Merseburg

The Chapter House ranks amongst the oldest and most important structures of the Merseburg Cathedral and Castle Ensemble. During the first third of the 20th century, it was still the centre of the entire representative, administrative, religious and political activity of the Merseburg diocesan chapter.
After decades of deterioration, as of August 2006 the Chapter House and its adjacent terrace gardens once again shine in renewed splendour. The three ground-floor chambers have been restored in accordance to historical sources and now contain a selection of manuscripts and documents from the 13th to 19th century as well as other precious treasures such as sculptures and altars.
The famous Merseburg Incantations (from the 10th century) are to be seen here, for example, as are the Merseburg Bible (from the early 13th century), a small ivory box from the mid-13th century, and the severed right hand of Rudolf von Rheinfelden, the antiking who fell in 1080.